When Mitshi Rodriguez, a Boston-based mom to 4 year old Mary, decided she wanted to start a business so she could control her time and spend more time taking care of her daughter, going into clothing seemed to be the natural course.
"I started watching fashion shows of my lolo (a fashion designer) at the age of 3.", Mitshi shares. "Just like most women, it excites me to look at beautiful clothes and I‘m fascinated with how wearing beautiful and quality
clothing impacts people. When I became a mom, I got really interested in children’s wear."
Apart from pretty clothes for kids, Mitshi is also a big fan of online shopping. "After six years in the States, online shopping is one of the things I’ve really enjoyed a lot – it’s a big time saver that also provides me with a wide variety of options." she adds.
The result of her two loves, and lots of encouragement from her husband is
Chichi Mary, an online store that carries in season collections of designer children’s wear from around the globe.
But even though Mitshi now lives in Boston, her online store is meant for us back here at home.
"I want to provide Filipinos with easy and convenient access to global
kid’s fashion. I want them to feel happy with the knowledge that what
their kids are wearing are the same thing as what a stylish New Yorker
or Parisian would be wearing." Mitshi enthuses.
That said, browsing through Chichi Mary is a browsing experience like no other. The clothes are very European in feel, more pricey than what the average Filipino would be used to admittedly, but where the customer is spoiled for choice. To simplify and save precious time, you can cut to the chase and shop by brand, by size, and by country of origin.
For me personally, the shopping experience was like being in red dress heaven. In a family where we dress in red, or in shades close to it whenever a
birthday celebration comes around, red shirts & dresses are a
wardrobe essential, seriously. But as I learned, finding chic red cotton party dresses for little girls in Manila is not that easy. Unless you go to Chichi Mary.
In less than 5 minutes, I already spotted 3 red dresses that I wanted for Berry.
Incidentally, I liked how I could preview my cart while still looking at each item by just clicking on "view cart" on the upper right hand corner. Kind of like J. Crew's except this one is right smack on the middle. My suggestion - Just add to cart and whittle down your choices later on.
Shopping at Chichi Mary is just like shopping at my favorite online stores. From reviewing my cart to filling out the usual billing/shipping details, receiving the order confirmation and shipping confirmation (shipping is free), to getting the carefully packaged box on my doorstep, everything was speedy and hassle free. From shopping cart to my house, the dresses arrived in just 3 days.
Day 1: Placed the order, Day 2: Received shipping confirmation...
To manage expectations, let me clarify that delivery within Metro Manila takes 1-2 days while delivery to
Visayas/Mindanao takes 2-4 days. Orders are thoughtfully packaged, wrapped in plastic to keep it from getting wet.
Day 3: Tadaaaa! Package is here!
Tear off the plastic wrap and the box looks like this:
Inside, the individually packaged dresses are folded nicely and wrapped in pink tissue:
The quality of the dresses were just as I expected, and as described. Soft, breathable fabrics in designs that are truly perfect for our chic little girls.
According to Mitshi, Chichi Mary is perfect for moms who love to shop abroad or use international shopping sites. The biggest incentive to shop local of course is that there’s no need to deal with international shipping. Also, it is easier to do returns/exchanges (returns are accepted within 7 days of purchase with a full refund of payment, provided items
approved for return are in the condition they were received with intact packaging and receipt/invoices). Customer service is just a phone call away too, with no need to consider time differences.
As with international brands, there will be two seasonal collections at Chichi Mary: Spring/Summer, which typically arrives from February-April and the Fall collection which arrives sometime August-September. Depending on the brand, there will also be Holiday and Resort collections, which will arrive November-December.
Mitshi promises that the merchandise selection will be constantly changing, and with each buying season, she promises to be on the hunt for equally stylish brands to make shopping at
Chichi Mary always exciting.
As for those of you dear readers abroad? You can join in on the action too! Chichi Mary can ship worldwide. They can in fact ship to Singapore for only P495!
